‘Ride Along’ Is Laugh Out Loud Funny

It is impossible not to go into Ride Along thinking it is another predictable buddy-cop movie: two individuals on the opposite side of the spectrum, one isolated and overbearing, the other a quirky buffoon. What’s the difference between this movie and the rest? It's simple: Kevin Hart. By the end of this shoot-’em-up, action-comedy motion picture directed by Think Like A Man's Tim Story, your stomach will ache from laughter.

Kevin Hart plays Ben, a school security guard who just got accepted into the police academy and found the girl of his dreams whom he wants to marry. But there is one problem: his girlfriend’s brother, Ice Cube who plays Detective James. He’s a hard-nosed, no-nonsense, Atlanta Police Department officer to whom Ben must prove himself before proposing. Now it’s starting to remind you of 2010’s The Other Guys starring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell or Cop Out with Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan. Just another cheesy buddy film with the pairing of the hottest comedian right now with a well-known tough guy, and we watch the comedian slowly break down the rough exterior of the detached cop, making him a human being again and somehow saving the day. The difference is Story places Kevin Hart in hilarious situations, utilizing Hart’s comedic style. Hart is downright, gut-twisting entertaining, sometimes stealing the spotlight of the show. There are comical scenes in this movie that are tear-jerking.

The cast is good, starting with Ice Cube and Hart, to John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill, Bryan Callen, Tika Sumpter and Laurence Fishburne. The film is outrageously enjoyable, focusing on the relationship and interactions of Ice Cube and Kevin Hart as they try to thwart a mysterious arms dealer. Kevin Hart’s natural flair is finely caught throughout the movie. Splash in some explosions and shootouts, video game references and a mini love story, Ride Along is an entertaining film that will make you laugh from start to finish.

XXL rating: XL